Wood River times. [volume] (Hailey, Idaho) 1882-1915, 1887-12-07
VATICAN INDIANS,

Iahgans, or southern tribes, are not can
nibals, rs has been supposed, and they do
not eat meat which is not cooked. They
are chiefly fishers and hunters, and the
women among them are the best of swim
mcrs. The woman has the right to sell
all the fish which she catches above those
required for her family, and they are said
to be good cooks, though they never knew
anything about boiling their food until
lately and had no vessels in which they
could do So They do not intcrmarry with
blood relatives, and the men have one,
two or three wives, according to their
circumstances. They are great quarrel
ers among themselves, and they are both
crafty and treachcrous. Having no fixed
principles, they are governed entirely by
their desires and passions. Tattooing is
unknown, but the girls paint their faces
for fashion and the men for mourning.
They are fond Of each others company,
and sitting around The fires of their huts
or wigWams, they are very jovial over
their meals. When they have satisfied
their hunger in the amplest manner-for
they generally have an abundance of food
they indulge in the most animated con-
versation and in the most excessive dem
onstrations of joy. Their laughter is nat
ural and hearty, but it is sometimes so
tNteSSlNc una DO!SltTOuS as TO drive q Sc
rious person quite frantic
These Indians arc not nearly so fine
looking as the Ouas, who inhabit the
northern part of TERRA del Fucgo. They
are tall, strong and muscular, and their
height Is often over six feet. There are
only about 500 of them, and they are
chiefly hunters. The men do the hunting,
while the women do the heavy work and
carry the burdens. Their skin is of a
clear copper color, and it is soft and oily
to the touch. Their dark, lustcrless,
woolly lair falls in tufts around large
tonsurc cut close in the top of the head
The face is oval shaped; the forehead mar
row, the eyebrows slightly arched and
the check bones prominent. They have
small mouths, yellow teeth and aquiline
noses. They do not have any beard to
speak of, and their shoulders are broad
and their chests well developed. Mr.
Pepper, who explored the island for the
Argentine Republic, speaks of them rs
follows: "The bulky hands of the Onns
contain short fingers, which terminate in
fiat, square nails. The general gait of
these Indians is heavy. The dimensions
of the abdomen vary very much,
according to the time at which
he has taken his Fucgian meal. In
the lower parts Of the body nature has
been less prodigal. The legs, although
straight and strong, are not in proportion
to the body; the calves are meager, ter
minating in i'll defined lines, and the feet
are Of moderate size. Notwithstanding
the rough and severe climate which pre-
walls the inhabitants USE TO ether clothing
than cloak or poncho of Guanaco skins,
and they generally live in tents, the sides
OF which are made Of II couple of poles on
the windy side, over which skins are
stretched or grass is banked. The only
decoration | observed on the women is
bracelet Of perforated shells. 1t is quite
impossible to distinguish the females from
the males by their dress, though they ex-
hibit but little modesty in exposing their
persons.
The Oras are extremely nimhlc Being
obliged to hunt the guan&COs ON foot, they
acquire the habit of running with in
credible swiftness. Through curiosity
measured the tracks left in the sand by